The Tottenham Hotspur centre-half Michael Dawson has been called into England's World Cup squad as a stand-by. The uncapped 22-year-old replaces Charlton Athletic's Luke Young, who withdrew yesterday after aggravating an ankle injury in training.

Dawson, who signed for Spurs from Nottingham Forest in January 2005 in a £4m transfer, has enjoyed an excellent first full Premiership season as Martin Jol's side finished fifth and qualified for the Uefa Cup. He played in 32 league games, but he was sent off twice - in the 1-0 defeat at Fulham in January and at Newcastle United in April where Spurs lost 3-1.

Although Dawson has never been picked for Sven-Goran Eriksson's full squad before, he has been a regular at Under-21 level. He will join his international team-mates when they meet up in Watford today, the squad having returned from their training camp at Vale Do Lobo in Portugal.